Australian Athletes Detained for Accreditation Tampering: Official

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File image of Team Australia during the opening ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 5, 2016.

Nine Olympic athletes from Australia were detained in Rio and taken to a police station after tampering with their accreditation on Friday night, an Australian Olympic official confirmed to NBC News.

The Olympians, from various sports, altered their accreditation to gain entry into the men's basketball tournament between Australia and Serbia at Carioca Arena 1 in the Olympic Park, Mike Tancred, press attache for the Australian Olympic Committee, said in a phone call to NBC News.

The athletes were detained at the venue and taken to a police station where they remained several hours later, Tancred said.

He did not say in what way the athletes had attempted to alter their accreditation. The athletes have not been identified.